NEW YORK – New York City Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf has long worked to bridge divisions, whether they are marital fissures or political chasms.
Now the 61-year-old clergyman is in the midst of a divisive national debate over plans for an Islamic center that features a mosque about two blocks north of the site of the Sept. 11 attacks.
As one of the project’s leaders, Rauf has said the center would serve as a space for interfaith dialogue and moderate Islam.
But critics warn the center could become a base for radical thought. They question whether funding for the estimated $100 project will come from Muslim extremists.
Those who know Rauf and have worked with him say that he is anything but extreme in his beliefs or intentions.
